Article of furniture



.Mfly :11 ]W33. SHEARER 1,917,554

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Aug. 24, 1951 Patented July 11, 1933 PATENT OFFICE RAY REGINALD SHEAREB, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Application filed/August 24, 1931. Serial No. 558,972.

This invention relates to articles of furniture having the additional utilit of enclosing a radio receiver together with its associated loud speaker device. This, therefpre,

is the general object of the present invention.

Another object is to provide a cabinet arranged to contain a radio loud speaker, and wherein the speaker unit is placed m a POSI- tion to facilitate true tone reproduct1on.

A further object is to provide a cabinet arranged to provide a container for a radio receiver unit, together w1th its associated loud speaker unit, and a writing desk, the arrangement of the speaker and desk compartments of the cabinet being suchas to present a compact arrangement and facilitate the use of the cabinet as a writing desk and at the same time increase the reproductive value of the speaker unit b its position in relation to other parts of t e cabinet.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description, referring to a preferred embodiment thereof, illustrated in the accompanying :5 drawing. The essential and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the claims. Referring to the drawing, Fi 1 is a front elevation of my improved ra 1o recelving cabinet; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a mod1- fied form of cabinet; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section through the cabinet, as indicated by the lines 33 on Fig. 1 or 2; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the cabinet, as indicated by the lines 4-4 on Fig. 1 or 2.

The cabinet, as illustrated in the drawing, comprises a box-like structure 10, arranged with suitable partitions to provide an enclosure for a radio receiving unit and a loud speaker unit, a writing desk compartment and suitable storage space in which books documents and other materials, such as radio programs and the like may be conveniently stored. The cabinet, as shown, comprises a pair of spaced end walls 11 and 5 12, joined together by a suitable to member 14. The upper part of each si e wall is slopedupwardly and rearwardly, and is provided with a hinged cover-member 15, which, when swun outwardly and downwardly, provides a s elf or ledge 16, so arranged as to be readily used for a writing desk. The desk portion 17 is provided with suitable partitions 17, and a bottom wall 19, of which the cover 15 forms a continuation when in its open position.

The radio receiver compartment lies belo the desk portion of the cabinet. As shown, it comprises a horizontal extension shelf 20, spaced below the bottom wall 19 of the desk portion, and so arranged that the radio set 60. may be secured thereto. Suitable doors or swinging panels 21 are hinged to the cabinet in the usual manner, so that the operating mechanism 22 of the receiving set may be hidden from view when the receiving set is not in use.

The arrangement is such that the receiving set is spaced some distance above the cabinet supportin surface or floor, so that the operating mec anism thereof will be con veniently located relative to the operator. This disposition of the receiver unit permits the locating of the speaker unit adjacent the floor and for the purpose hereinafter stated. For some time loud speakers have been housed in the same cabinets which housed the associated radio receiving sets. However, little attention has been given to the relative position of the speaker unit in the cabinet, other than to locate the unit so as to make the connection between it and the receiving set comparatively short, and at the same time obtain an attractive appearance of the cabinet as a whole.

While the attractiveness of the cabinet is highly desirable, I nevertheless find that the location of the speaker in the cabinet can greatly affect the speakers reproductive value and the tone qualities. Heretofore the outer face of the speaker bafiie has been located in a vertical plane substantially flush with the front wall of the cabinet. However, I have found that the reproductive qualities of the speaker are greatly improved if the battle is set back a substantial distance from the front wall. Likewise, the acoustic values of the cabinet itself are vastly improved when the. speaker is so arranged, the latter being important when the cabinet is to be used for general storage purposes, such as for magazines, books, papers and the like.

To improve the tone qualities of the speaker, I locate the speaker soundboard 50 within a recess 30, and in a plane a substantial distance back from the front wall of the cabinet. As shown, I have located the soundboard substantially midway between the front and rear walls of the cabinet. The speaker compartment 30 comprises end walls 31 and 32 spaced apart and equidistant from the end walls 11 and 12 of the cabinet. The upper wall of the speaker compartment is provided by the receiving set supporting surface 20'. I have found that the reproduction of the speaker is greatly enhanced if the bottom of the cabinet or speaker compartment is open. A comparatively small bridge 40 is located in the plane of the front wall of the cabinet and provided at its upper corners with openings 42, to prevent a dead sound area within the compartment.

The speaker soundboard comprises a panel of wood or other sound-absorbing material 50. and is provided with a suitable opening 51, which is covered by a usual bafile screen 52 and to which the speaker unit is preferably secured. This arrangement prevents undue vibration from being transmitted to the cabinet itself.

It will be especially noted that the bafiie 5O entirely bridges or closes the gap between the rim of the speaker and the side and top walls 31, 32 and 20 respectively, of the speaker compartment 30 of the cabinet. The side and top edges of the baflle board 50 are secured to the adjacent compartment walls of the cabinet and serve to reinforce the baffle as well as to secure it in position within the compartment 30. At the lower edge of the bafile I have provided a reinforcing member (Figs. 3 and 4) This reinforcing member serves to maintain the rigidity of the baflie 50 and prevent undesirable vibrations from being set up in the bafile. As shown in the drawing, the reinforcing member is secured to the front face of the baffle adjacent its lowermost edge. I find it convenient to use a moulding or baseboard strip for the reinforcing member as such strip may be con-- tinued around the lower edges of the entire cabinet as shown at 70 and will then serve to enhance the appearance of the cabinet as well as to reinforce the bafiie board 50.

WVhen the speaker soundboard 50 is located as above described, it divides the recess or compartment 30 into two sub-compartments, the front of which comprises a resonance chamber and the other of which is adapted to receive the speaker unit. It will be further noted that this construction eliminates all rigid panels between the soundboard and the front edges of the side walls of the resonance chamber. Such a construction has been found to add a desirable resonant quality to the tone of the loud speaker, resulting in a more pleasing sound than where the speaker soundboard was mounted directly at the front of the cabinet, as has been customary in the past.

A cabinet for a radio receiving unit and its associated loud speaker, constructed as above described, has certain acoustical characteristics whereby the tone and reproductive values of the speaker unit are greatly enhanced. It will be apparent that I may use the cabinet for storage space, and for a writing desk, without affecting the tone qualities of the reproducer. Likewise, it is apparent that I have so arranged the various parts of the cabinet, such as the radio receiving compartment, the desk compartment and the speaker compartment, that they are compact, conveniently located and wherein, as indicated in Fig. 3, there is suflicient room he neath the radio set itself and in front of the speaker to accommodate the feet of a person using the cabinet for a writing desk.

I claim:

1. A cabinet having a compartment for a speaker unit, said compartment being formed by four walls comprising a top wall, two side walls and a partition wall dividing said compartment into two sub-compartments by being connected to the top wall and the said side walls whereby one of said sub-compartments has only four walls including the partition wall and thus forming a resonance chamber and a speaker unit mounted in the other of said compartments, the speaker unit being arrangedin said last named subcompartment to entirely close a lar e opening formed in said partition wall w ereb the speaker unit will direct the sound pr uced thereby to said resonance chamber.

2. A cabinet having a compartment for a speaker unit, said compartment comprising a pair of vertically parallel extending side walls, a transversely extending vertical panel arranged to provide a soundboard for the speaker unit and located in a plane midway between the front and rear faces of the cabinet, to divide said compartment into a front sub-compartment comprising a resonance chamber and a rear speaker unit sub-compartment, a top wall extending between said end walls and between the panel and front face of the cabinet, and a reinforcing strip parallel with and extending along the bottom edge of said panel to dampen the vibration thereof.

3. A cabinet havinga compartment for a speaker unit, sald compartment comprising a pair of substantially vertically extending parallel side walls, a sound board dividing the compartment into two sub-compartments and extendin transversely between said side walls and su stantially from the top to the bottom of the compartment and having a substantially centrally located single opening formed therein, one of said sub-compartments comprising a resonance chamber, a speaker unit having one face thereof arranged to coact with and close the opening in the sound board, and wherein said sound board is positioned between the front and rear faces of the cabinet to position said face of the speaker a substantial distance from the front edges of the side walls of the compartment, and the sound board is the only transverse rigid panel in front of the speaker.

4. A radio cabinet having a compartment for a speaker unit, said compartment comprising a pair'of vertically extending parallel side walls, a transverse wall provided with a single opening therein and extending from one side wall to the other intermediate the front and rear edges of said side walls, and a speaker unit mounted on said transverse wall in registration with the opening therein and spaced apart from the top and bottom edges of said transverse wall, whereby said transverse wall acts as a sound-board, a baflle screen secured to said transverse wall in registration with the opening therein, wherein both said baflle screen and said sound-board are spaced from the front face of the cabinet, and wherein there is no transverse planular member between the unit comprising said transverse wall and said bafile screen and the front face of the cabinet, whereby that portion of the compartment in front of the transverse wall and screen may comprise a resonance chamber.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

RAY R. SHEARER. 

